Kitchen Capers
This classic baking disaster happens because the home cook mistakenly uses this “table” mineral instead of sugar
What is salt? If it’s a small amount of salt, you might be able to salvage the dish. If you are working with a sweet batter, the recipe will call for a large amount of sugar, and you’ll need to start over. You haven’t earned your “home cook” badge until you’ve made this mistake at least once.
This flower is the most common flower associated with fall and has one of the longest bloom times.
What is chrysanthemum? It comes in a wide variety of colors and shapes, and it’s a perennial, though many people treat it as an annual.
As the days grow shorter and cooler, it’s time to do this with your summer clothes before storing them for the season
What is wash and dry them? Always store clothes for the winter only after they have been laundered or dry-cleaned.
Kids rode these for hours without helmets
What are bicycles? The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute says that 22 states,including the District of Columbia, now have bicycle laws requiring children to wear helmets
This type of portable radio grew popular during the 1960s.
What is a transistor? Before transistor radios were introduced, radios were large, bulky home furnishings that housed breakable vacuum tubes. The first commercial transistor radio was introduced in 1954, and the reduced size made radios portable.
This ingredient makes bread rise.
What is yeast? If you’re unsure if your batch of yeast is still fresh, try proofing it in a bowl with some warm water and sugar. If it foams, the batch is still good.
This purple vegetable only wishes it came from a chicken
What is an eggplant? During the 18th century, Europeans cultivated white varieties of eggplant, and because they resembled eggs, they were named a combination of the words egg and plant
This spooky flying mammal is associated with Halloween.
What is the bat? More than half of bat species in the United States are in severe decline or listed as endangered. That’s not a good thing because bats can eat up to 1,200 mosquitoes in an hour and are essential pollinators.
Kids drank water outside from this all summer without a second thought.
What is garden hose? Drinking water from a garden hose today isn’t recommended because many hoses can leech chemicals like lead or BPA into the water.
Bad reception produces this crackling sound.
What is static? Unless there is something wrong with the radio, external factors such as electromagnetic interference and atmospheric conditions are the most likely culprits.
This kitchen appliance displays magnets.
What is a refrigerator? It’s a great place to keep your grandchildren’s drawings, calendars, and photos so you can see them every day.
This sun-chasing flower is a sure sign of the harvest season.
What is a sunflower? Some varieties of sunflower last until the first frost. In warmer areas of the country, they’re available alongside fresh produce at farmers’ markets. Young sunflowers track the sun to absorb energy and are guided by their circadian rhythm. Mature sunflowers face east permanently.
This European explorer reached the Americas in October 1492.
Who is Christopher Columbus? Columbus reached islands in the Caribbean in 1492. Leif Erikson is widely credited with reaching Newfoundland centuries earlier
This restful piece of household furniture wasn’t so relaxing anymore when kids used it as a trampoline.
What is bed? Experts debate the risks and rewards of jumping on the bed. It can be good for the child’s mental and physical health, yet we all know a list of reasons mothers of an earlier era would never have allowed such antics.
This free message is offered in the service of the public interest.
What is a public service announcement (PSA)? PSAs originated during World War II, and one of radio’s best-remembered PSAs was the “Loose Lips Sink Ships” campaign.
A soufflé makes a lovely dessert, but if you make it ahead of time, it will do this.
What is fall? Air is trapped in the egg whites while the soufflé cooks, but as it cools, the air escapes, causing the soufflé to fall. If presentation is your main concern, it must be eaten before it cools
Once the air chills, we turn our attention away from the summer varieties and turn to acorn, spaghetti, and butternut varieties of this vegetable.
What is winter squash? Winter squash has a hard rind and a long storage life.
Three warm spices found in most pantries in autumn are cinnamon, nutmeg, and this one.
What are cloves? Most recipes call for ground cloves at 50 percent of the quantity of cinnamon and nutmeg
In the 1960s, many parents shoved their kids out the door to play and told them to come home by the time these came on.
What are streetlights? Others marked the end of play with dinner bells that rang up and down the neighborhood. In those days, kids were free-range.
This comedic duo of stage, radio, and TV is famous for their “Who’s on First” routine.
Who are Abbott and Costello? Abbott came from a circus family, and Costello was a stuntman in Hollywood before they met.
This kitchen measurement equals 16 fluid ounces.
What is a pint? To perform a conversion between any two units of measure, open a browser. In the search bar, type “how many [units of measure] in a [unit of measure]” and tap Enter. The search engine will return the answer
This three-layered, triangular candy comes out of hiding just in time for Halloween
What is candy corn? You can spot it a mile away by its distinctive layering of yellow for the base, orange for the middle section, and white for the tip
This famous ship’s hull was completed in the Harland & Wolff shipyard in Belfast in October 1910.
What is the Titanic? When the Titanic was set afloat, it was the largest ship ever to have sailed, but it was not the fastest.
This playground fixture lets two children ride up and down, but many have disappeared from playgrounds over safety concerns.
What is seesaw? Often made from old wooden planks that hit the concrete or gravel directly, the seesaw was an excellent source of splinters, tailbone and spinal injuries, and the fear of your partner suddenly exiting, sending you crashing to the ground. Kids today enjoy modified seesaws on select playgrounds, but they’ll never know the thrill of the original.
This system is used in the United States for radio ratings.
What are Nielsen ratings? Nielsen began with radio ratings, added TV ratings, and now rates streaming platforms. If you’ve wondered whether streaming platforms are picking up steam, Nielsen proves they’ve already hit critical mass. The company measures live and on-demand reach for streaming platforms.